SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: New Great Wall ute revealed
Great Wall unveils its bigger, tougher, safer new dual-cab – including an EV versionGreat Wall has taken the wraps off not just one but three versions of its all-new dual-cab ute at China’s Shanghai motor show this afternoon.
Bristling with high-end safety, chassis and powertrain technologies rare in the one-tonne ute segment, as well as a classy new interior, the new-generation Great Wall ute was displayed in Passenger, Off-Road and EV versions at Shanghai.
A base ‘Commercial’ version of the ‘Model P’, as the all-new Great Wall ute is known in the Chinese domestic market, was also mentioned in the presentation, although it was unclear if it was just the single-cab model or based on the dual-cab.
Among the new features announced today were autonomous emergency braking, active cruise control, 360-degree camera, coil-spring rear suspension and rear disc brakes.
Based on a new ladder-frame chassis -- called the P71 Platform and shared with the new Haval H9 large SUV – the as-yet-unnamed Great Wall ute features independent double-wishbone coil-spring front suspension and, for passenger and off-road models, a multi-link coil-spring live rear axle.
Interestingly, Commercial and EV versions employ a leaf-sprung live rear axle.
Engine options have been confirmed to include either the 180kW 2.0-litre petrol engine used in the Haval H9 or a 145kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.
Six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmission will be on offer.
The Off-Road model comes with a winch, snorkel, crawl mode, front and rear diff locks, and what Great Wall describes as ‘tank u-turn’, presumably a rear wheel lock mode when making tight turns to the reduce turning circle when off road.
The Off-Road model is 5425mm long, 1972mm wide and 1893mm high, and its wheelbase is 3230mm. Tray length was given as 1520mm, up marginally from the existing Steed ute.
Tyres are 265/65R18, with the display model shod with chunky Cooper Discoverer STT in a LT construction.
Important information yet to be revealed includes payload and towing specifications.
Also fitted to the Off-Road ute was a set of remote-reservoir shocks by Chinese nitrogen shock specialist, K-MAN.
Not many specs were given for the electric version, only that it is 2WD and runs 245/70R17 tyres.
The EV dual-cab model measures a very lanky 5602mm long, 1883mm wide and 1882mm high. Wheelbase is much longer than the Off-Road model at 3470mm and the tray is a massive 1760mm long.
The pure-electric ute is not the only green Great Wall ute planned; the presentation also made reference to a hydrogen fuel-cell version, although no further detail was given.
The Great Wall ute is tracking for an on-sale in China in the third quarter of this year and arrives in Australia in 2020, although exact timing has not been confirmed.
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